Monday, June 17, 2013

The Lok Satta Party has asked the Government to go ahead with elections to panchayats by taking the State as a unit for reservations as announced earlier.

Lok Satta Party Vice President D. V. V. S. Varma in a media statement wanted the Government not to have second thoughts on the reservations issue in the wake of complaints that elections based on State-wide reservations will result in injustice to OCs in certain districts.

According to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics’ provisional estimates for 2011, BCs constitute 39.18 percent of the State’s population. The State Government has reserved 34 percent of seats to BCs and allocated them among districts in proportion to their population. As a result, BCs get more seats in districts where their population is high and less in districts where their population is low. If BCs are getting less than 34 percent of seats in 10 districts and more than 34 percent in 12 districts, it is because of the variation in their population.

Mr. Varma pointed out that if reservations of 34 percent were to be made for BCs taking the district as a unit, their quota will go down in 12 districts in which they account for more than 34 percent of population, resulting in the number of general seats going up. Similarly, their reservations will go up in districts where their population is less than 34 percent, resulting in a fall in the number of general seats.

Mr. Varma underlined that State-wide reservations for BCs have not affected the total number of general seats.

The controversy will merely provide a handle to the Government to once again postpone the overdue panchayat elections.

Mr. Varma wanted the Government to ensure that panchayat elections are held without further delay by giving the reservations chart to the Election Commission.